There are many medical procedures currently practiced in which a fluid is administered to the subject being treated, where such procedures include drug delivery, imaging agent delivery, irrigation, etc. In many situations, it is desirable to provide for localized fluid delivery to a specific region or location (i.e., site) of the subject being treated. Such situations include those in which a toxic agent is being administered and it is desired to reduce the systemic toxicity of the agent; those in which an expensive agent is being administered and targeted delivery is sufficient for the intended purpose; and the like.
A number of different localized fluid delivery devices have been developed for use in a variety of procedures. For example, numerous and diverse fluid delivery devices, e.g., catheter and non-catheter devices, that provide for localized fluid delivery to a particular site have been developed to be used in a variety of different applications. In many such embodiments, the fluid delivery devices are relatively complex in that they include various isolation elements for producing an isolated environment around the target site. While such devices can be effective, the isolated environment is typically much larger than the target site, resulting in contact of the fluid with unwanted areas adjacent to the target site.
As such, there is a continued need for the development of additional fluid delivery devices for use in localized fluid delivery to a specific region, location or site of a subject. Of particular interest would be the development of such a device that was simple and provided for precise, highly localized delivery of fluid to a target site with minimal, if any, fluid contact to regions adjacent to the target site.
Relevant Literature
U.S. Patents of general interest include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,445,892; 4,573,966; 4,610,662; 4,636,195; 4,655,746; 4,690,672; 4,824,436; 4,911,163; 4,976,733; 5,059,178; 5,090,960; 5,167,628; 5,195,955; 5,222,941; 5,370,609; 5,380,284; 5,443,446; 5,462,529; 5,496,267; 5,785,675; and 5,833,650. Also of interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,913,856 and 5,913,854. See also PCT publication No. WO 01/05210. Also of interest are: WO 00/03651; WO 01/13985; and WO 01/15767 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,156,350.